MRSA and VRE Reporting

Nosocomial Infections are hospital-associated or healthcare-associated infections. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year nearly 2 million patients in the United States contract infections in hospitals and about 90,000 of these patients die as a result of their infection.

Staphylococcal bacteria (or staph) can cause serious infections, such as surgical wound infections, blood stream infections and pneumonia. Treatment of staph infections has become more difficult because the bacteria have become resistant to various antibiotics, such as methicillin.

Enterococci are among the leading causes of nosocomial bacteremia, surgical wound infection, and urinary tract infection. Unfortunately, they are becoming resistant to many and sometimes all standard therapies.

The “Missouri Nosocomial Infection Control Act of 2004” mandates that nosocomial methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and nosocomial vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) be included in the list of reportable diseases and/or conditions.

A MRSA VRE Reporting form has been developed as a guide. It is not mandatory to use this form. If the information is available in a different format, and includes all the necessary information, that will be acceptable.

Aggregate data for each quarter will be due within ten days of the end of the quarter (July, August and September data will be due by October 10, 2005). Quarterly aggregate reports shall include only those data that are available within the ten-day reporting period.

A MRSA VRE Reporting form has been developed as a guide. It is not mandatory to use this form. If the information is available in a different format, and includes all the necessary information, that will be acceptable.